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9-15 2015
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
Arbitration Man has presided over informal hearings for three decades. He’s now blogging about it BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
Arbitration Man is the common folks’ hero. Or at least their jurist. For 30 years, Arbitration Man has sat in a satellite office of the civil court building at 111 Centre St. every few weeks and absorbed New Yorkers’ accountings of burned dry cleaning, lousy paint jobs, fender benders, lost security deposits and the like. And then he’s decided. About a year ago, Arbitration Man, who requested anonymity so to not affect future proceedings, started documenting about two dozen of what he considers his most compelling cases in an eponymous blog. “I decided to write about it because I was interested in the stories but wanted to write about it not from a lawyer’s point of view but rather from a lay point of view,” said Arbitration Man, a practicing lawyer since 1961. He first writes about what’s at issue and then, in a separate post, renders his decision, detailing how he arrived at his conclusion. Visitors to the blog often weigh in with their opinions. “I really want to get a rap going. I really want to know whether they understood what I did and why I did it,” he said. “Most people don’t know how the judge thinks. ... I’d like my cases to reflect my personality and also my tremendous respect for the law.” Arbitration Man, 80, went into individual practice in 1985, settling suc-
THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, THANKS TO A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Department of Buildings is handing out a record number of after-hours work permits, according to new data BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
Every New Yorker knows the sound: the metal-on-metal clang, the hollow boom, the piercing beeps of a truck moving in reverse. A glance at the alarm clock and you can hardly believe it: it’s the middle of the night, and yet construction carries on full-tilt. You can call 311 or your local police
precinct, but chances are the work is being done legally -- thanks to a boom in the number of after-hours construction permits throughout the city. Over the past three years, the number of after-hours work permits granted by the city’s Dept. of Buildings has jumped 30 percent, according to DOB data provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The city classifies any construction work between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., or on the weekend, as after-hours. The surge in permits has generated millions of dollars in fees for the city agency, and left some residents convinced that the application
process is a mere formality for developers looking to complete their projects quickly. “They pick out their own hours,” said Mildred Angelo, who lives on the 19th floor in one of the Ruppert Houses on 92nd Street between Second and Third avenues. She said there’s an ongoing all-hours construction project nearby where workers constantly make noise transferring cement from trucks. “They do whatever they want. They can come and go as they please. They have no respect.” The increased issuance of these variances has led to a correspond-
The effort to help small businesses in the city seems to be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Margaret Chin and Robert Cornegy, have introduced legislation that would create a new “Office of the Small Business Advocate” within the city’s Department of Small Business Services. The new post, which Chin told us she’d like to have up and running this year, would serve as an ombudsman for small businesses within city government, helping them clear through the bureaucracy to get things done. Perhaps even more importantly, the ombudsman also will tally the type and number of complaints by small business owners, the actions taken in response, and some policy recommendations for ways to begin to fix things. If done well, the ombudsman’s report would give us the first quantitative taste of what’s wrong with small businesses in the city, an important first step towards fixing the problem. To really make a difference, of course, the advocate will have to find a way to tackle rising rents, which remain many business’ most vexing problem. While Chin said it’s too early to gauge what role the advocate could have there, more information on the problem can’t be a bad thing. This step, combined with the efforts by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to mediate the rent renewal process, offer some early, tangible signs of progress. For many small business owners, that can’t come soon enough.
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
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In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous because it about “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiArbitration Man, suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman number and type the will tally business of complaints by small taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an in businesses small towards important first step fixing the problem. of formality for deTo really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTED GAS LEAKS HAVE SKYROCKETED BY 64 PERCENT SINCE DEADLY EAST VILLAGE EXPLOSION Reports of gas leaks to Con Edison spiked in the week following the East Village gas explosion that claimed two lives, the New York Post reported. A Con Ed spokesman said the company received 1,787 phone calls within a six-day period after the March 26th explosion, a 64 percent increase when compared to the six days before the explosion. Authorities think that illegal work on a gas line is to blame for the explosion that tore through one building and a subsequent ďŹ re that tore through two neighboring buildings. The upturn in reported gas leak complaints is similar to that which followed the 2014 explosion in East Harlem that killed eight people, the spokesman said. In 2014 the number of residential calls recorded by Con Edison increased by 57 percent compared to the previous year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we see an increase in gas calls like last year, we consider that a good thing,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The leaks that are dangerous are the leaks that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reported to us.â&#x20AC;?
CITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FATAL HEROIN OVERDOSES AGAIN SURPASS HOMICIDES For the second year in a row, fatal heroin overdoses in the city have surpassed homicide, according to the Daily News, Although exact numbers were not yet available, police Commissioner Bill Bratton told the newspaperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s editorial board that, similar to 2013, fatalities from the drug would be greater than the 328 killings recorded
last year. In 2013, 420 people died of heroin overdoses, while 355 people were killed by homicide. The Drug Enforcement Agency says heroin is six to seven times stronger today than it was in the 1970s. During the ďŹ rst quarter of 2015, the DEA seized 220 pounds of heroin, the paper reported, while the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office of the special narcotics prosecutor has seized 120 pounds, the Daily News reported. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen these numbers, not even in the heroin epidemics from 30 to 40 years ago,â&#x20AC;? the special agent in charge of the DEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New York City ďŹ eld division told the paper.
RESTORED WINDOW DONATED TO SHUL IN MEMORY OF RALPH FELDMAN Local artist Patti Kelly donated a restored stain glass window of the Star of David to the Stanton Street Shul in honor of well-known community member Ralph Feldman, who died in February, The LoDown reported. The window was saved decades ago from Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn, a former synagogue located on East 7th Street. Feldman was a former New York City Fire Marshal that once attended services at the Shul synagogue. Kelly remembers when Feldman would stop by her studio to watch her restore stained-glass windows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He got the biggest kick (out of the fact that) this Irish Catholic girl was doing the restorationâ&#x20AC;? of a Jewish artifact, she told The LoDown. Kelly said Feldman, who bought and restored building in the neighborhood, appreciated the shul as one of the last tenement synagogues on the Lower East side, LoDown
reported. Kellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time spent restoring the window was especially signiďŹ cant to her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My job,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is to hold on to the original integrity of the piece and to honor the original work.â&#x20AC;?
NINE DOWNTOWN NYCHA BUILDINGS TO RECEIVE PART OF $3 BILLION FROM SANDY FUND Senator Chuck Schumer and Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced last week that nine Lower East side public housing complexes would get some of the $3 billion in federal funds to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, The Downtown Express reported. The complexes -Smith, LaGuardia, Two Bridges, Baruch, Wald, Riis 1 & 2, and Campos 1 & 2 -- are included in a list of about 33 total New York public housing buildings that will have access to federal funding to repair storm damages. According to the paper, the outlay is one of the largest single grants FEMA has ever made. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unknown how much each development will receive, but the paper cites an average is just over $90 million. Half of the money is expected to be divided handle repairs and install ďŹ&#x201A;ood protection. The Smith, LaGuardia and Two Bridges complexes have so far been cut out of a protective plan that involves the placement of U-shaped protective beams around southern Manhattan. The paper quoted Councilwoman Margaret Chin as saying the money â&#x20AC;&#x153;represents a huge step toward improving the lives of thousands of Lower East Side NYCHA residents who are still struggling with postSandy damage and the fear of being left unprotected.â&#x20AC;?
FireďŹ ghters spray water on buildings on Second Avenue that caught ďŹ re following an explosion authorities believe was caused by faulty gas line work. Reports of gas leaks have spiked since the March 26 incident. Photo: Stacie Joy, via Flickr
APRIL 9-15,2015
3
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG DSQUARED ENSNARED
total of $2,292.
The spate of SoHo shoplifting incidents continues unabated. At 11:19 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, a man and a woman entered the DSQUARED2 clothing boutique at 402 West Broadway and removed items from a clothing rack and the man concealed them in his pants, police said. The items stolen were two leather jackets with price tags of $5,295 apiece, as well as another leather jacket priced at $2,975, making a total haul of $13,565.
ROGUE RAGE
OWING RICK OWENS Could this be the same shoplifting couple? At 3:40 p.m. on Monday, March 30, a man and a woman entered the Rick Owens store at 250 Hudson St. took a pair of Rick Owens cargo basket shoes valued at $1,725 and left the store without paying. The couple was last seen fleeing northbound on Hudson Street.
Motorists are reminded not to leave valuable items visible in parked cars. At 11 p.m. on Friday, March 27, a 33-year-old woman parked her red 2009 Nissan Rogue in front of 3 Wooster St., leaving a camera bag on the backseat. She headed off to get some food but came back to get the bag. When she did, she saw that the back passenger-side window had been broken and the bag was missing. She had not seen anyone suspicious in the area, before or after the incident. Video is available at the parking garage across the street. The items stolen were a Nikon D 90 camera valued at $1,200, a Nikon 200 mm camera lens priced at $1,000, a Nikon Speed Light tagged at $600, a Nikon 100 mm camera lens valued at $150, plus various memory cards and a filter. In all, the total amount stolen came to $3,014.
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED
BAPE CAPER Grand larceny proved to be not so grand for a young shoplifter recently. At 12:40 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, a 17-year-old man removed items from a sales rack in the Bape New York store at 91 Greene St. and left the store without paying for them. Police managed to collar the young man, Dazon McMillan, who resisted arrest by attempting to run, passing the arresting officer and pulling his arms away, before refusing to be handcuffed. The items stolen and recovered were a purple jacket valued at $821, a navy jacket tagged at $735, and a red jacket priced at $736, making a
At 4:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, an intoxicated 28-year-old man was making a food purchase at the 150 Market located at 150 Water St., when two men impersonating women attempted to seduce him. Working in concert, the perpetrators then grabbed the victim’s wallet, shoved him aside and fled on foot, accidentally dropping his wallet on the street in their flight. The victim ran out of the store after the perpetrators but was unable to catch up with them. Police searched the area but couldn’t locate the two sticky-fingered gender benders. All of the victim’s property was recovered.
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for March 23 to March 29 Week to Date
Year to Date
2015 2014 % Change
2015 2014 % Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
1
2
-50
Robbery
2
0
n/a
8
9
-11.1
Felony Assault
1
1
0
13
20
-35
Burglary
3
4
-25
37
42
-11.9
Grand Larceny
20
15
33.3
195
210
-7.1
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
2
1
100
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BE THE NEW YORKER WHO REALLY DOES KNOW IT ALL. A LECTURE PRESENTED BY NYU LANGONE’S CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. Heart disease may not seem like an immediate concern, but if you have a family history of the condition, have high cholesterol or diabetes, or are overweight, you may be at increased risk. Join our team of preventive cardiologists to learn how to manage your personal risk factors, understand how your risk is assessed, and more. Date: Tuesday, April 14, 6:00pm – 7:30pm. Presenters: Edward Fisher, MD, PhD, MPH; Eugenia Gianos, MD; Dennis Goodman, MD; Arthur Schwartzbard, MD; Howard Weintraub, MD.
Location: NYU Langone Medical Center. 550 First Avenue at 31st Street. Alumni Hall B.
Info: This lecture is free and open to the public. To attend, call 212.263.5162 or email cvdprevention@nyumc.org.
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APRIL 9-15,2015
WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA GALLERIES?
After 15 years running his gallery in Chelsea, Zach Feuer (left) leaves the neighborhood to partner with Joel Mesler (right). The team will operate two gallery spaces, Feuer/Mesler and Mesler/Feuer, on the Lower East Slide, slated to open May 10.
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NEWS It’s new buildings, not rising rents, that are forcing some gallerists to reconsider their neighborhood roots BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
When gallerists Stephen Haller and Cynthia Griffin Haller reopened their W. 26th Street gallery following a fivemonth rebuild after Hurricane Sandy flooded their first floor space, they were still without phone and Internet. Still, they were happy in the location, where they expected to stay for some time. Instead, they were told less than a year later that their landlord planned to demolish the building. “We had shows planned for long periods of time. We had just put in a huge amount of money to refurbish the space,” Cynthia said. “We were really shocked.” For Stephen Haller Gallery and others like it, it isn’t rising rents that are driving them away. It’s new development, which is surging in Chelsea, thanks in part to the opening of the High Line and the mid2000s rezoning of West Chelsea. The May 1 opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art on Gansevoort Street means even more foot traffic to the area. The irony, of course, is that the arrival of the Whitney -- one of the city’s art meccas -- could also spell the end for some long-time art dealers in the area, as their buildings increasingly are sold or demolished. With their 10-year lease abruptly cut short, Stephen and Cynthia, who shared their building with the Lehmann Maupin and Tony Shafrazi galleries, needed to vacate the property by June of 2014. (Shafrazi is suing the landlord, the Manhattes Group, for $20 million dollars, the New York
Post reported). They shopped for another location in the neighborhood but struggled to find anything more than a two-year lease on a street-level space. After 13 years in Chelsea, Stephen Haller Gallery left the neighborhood and joined forces with Stux Gallery in a new sixthfloor space on 57th Street, not far from the Museum of Modern Art. Operating as Stux + Haller, the new 4,000-squarefoot gallery space comes with a 10-year lease, negotiated by Stefan Stux and his partner, Andrea Schnabl. Many frequent clients live uptown or stay in nearby hotels, Stephen said, and the neighborhood attracts a clientele suited to their gallery. “Someone going to Bergdorf’s certainly would be comfortable coming to the gallery,” Stephen said. Gallerist Zach Feuer, who had six years left on his lease, planned to sublet his Chelsea space at 548 W. 22nd St., opting instead for a change of scenery. “It’s very hard to stand out in Chelsea,” said Feuer, who also runs a gallery in Hudson, New York. “More and more, being in Chelsea feels like doing a show in an art fair, because we’re one of 300.” Instead, his landlord offered to take back the space, ultimately selling the property to a developer for $39.9 million. Feuer could have stayed, he said, but after 15 years in Chelsea, he left for the thriving Lower East Side gallery district. He found a second floor space on Grand Street with wooden floors and plenty of light, and merged with gallerist Joel Mesler, who already occupied a location on Orchard Street. With two galleries, the pair will share their roster and a combined 6,000-square-feet of space and develop complementary programming. Feuer/ Mesler opens May 10 at 319 Grand St. with a show from
Jon Rafman and Keren Cytter, while Mesler/Feuer at 30 Orchard St. will show work by sculptor Brie Ruais. The rent for the two locations is comparable to what Feuer paid for his Chelsea spot. With so much ongoing development, Chelsea’s status as an art district seems insecure, vulnerable to the same kind of gentrification playing out across Manhattan. But Rafael Risemberg, who has led tours of the city’s galleries for 13 years through his company NY Gallery Tours, thinks that, as long as major players such as Pace and Gagosian galleries stay in the neighborhood, Chelsea as an art destination isn’t in danger of losing volume or appeal. “For every gallery that leaves, another moves in or a gallery expands,” Risemberg said. “There have never been more galleries in New York.” And some are investing further in Chelsea: Hauser & Wirth is building a new space on W. 22nd Street, the New York Times reported in February, and Pace recently announced plans for a new, eight-story building at its 540 W. 25th St. location. Such abundance is owed in part to the present strength of the art market, Risemberg said. “If (the galleries) weren’t selling, they would close,” he said. “They’re not a charity. They’re not a non-profit.” Mel Dogan founded C24 Gallery in 2011, on what he calls “the golden street of contemporary galleries,” W. 24th Street. He signed a five-year lease with a five-year extension option, and Dogan and his partners spent a year and a half renovating the 8,000-squarefoot space, located in a familyowned building that was once a furniture factory. Last spring, in the fourth year of the lease, his landlord sold the building to luxury development firm
JDS Development Group for $34.75 million. Dogan and his partners could finish out their lease, but, because the building was slated for demolition, they couldn’t seek an extension. (Their lease included a demolition clause, a common addition that allows the landlord to terminate a lease if the building is razed.) They considered relocating to Soho or the Lower East Side, but wanted to stay in Chelsea. “It’s a mecca for the type of collectors and street traffic pedestrians that we wanted to be close to,” said Dogan, who welcomes the development in the area. “That whole west side metamorphosis is part of what appeals to us.” On the Lower East Side, and especially on a second floor space, Feuer does expect to lose some foot traffic, but that doesn’t disappoint him. “The flow in and out on Saturday, when it’s throngs of people coming through, it’s very hard to connect with people,” he said. Ultimately, C24 benefited from the new construction: Dogan and his partners purchased a 4,500-square-foot commercial condominium at 560 W. 24 St., in a new luxury building across from Larry Gagosian’s mega-gallery. Currently under construction, the new space is set to open in September (C24 has a temporary location on W. 27th Street). Dogan does think that surviving in Chelsea will be increasingly difficult for those who can’t or won’t make a capital investment to stay there. Stephen Haller, an art dealer for decades, has seen gallery migrations before, having operated on Madison Avenue, 57th Street, in Soho and in Chelsea. Now back on 57th Street, he feels a sense of stability. “When the high rises come in, it’s not viable for an art gallery anymore,” he said.
APRIL 9-15,2015
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THE NYU ALZHEIMERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DISEASE CENTER PRESENTS:
Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease Update 2015 5)634%": "13*- t Q N o Q N Update on Clinical Imaging in Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease 4QFBLFS 5JNPUIZ 4IFQIFSE .% 1I% Assistant Professor, NYU Langone Medical Center, Department of Radiology /FX $PODFQUT JO "M[IFJNFS T %JTFBTF )ZESBUJPO )PSNPOFT )FBE *OKVSJFT BOE )BJS 4QFBLFS 5SBDZ #VUMFS .% Assistant Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU Center for Brain Health, NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease Research Update 2015 4QFBLFS 4UFWFO 'FSSJT 1I% Friedman Professor and Co-Director, NYU Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease Center, Director of Clinical Trials Program, Center for Cognitive Neurology Is an Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease Vaccine Possible? 4QFBLFS 5IPNBT 8JTOJFXTLJ .% Professor of Neurology, Pathology and Psychiatry, Director of the Center for Cognitive Neurology, Director of the Division of Aging and Dementia, Director of the Pearl Barlow Memory Disorders Center, NYU School of Medicine
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APRIL 9-15,2015
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Arbitration Man in his 10th floor office, off Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side.
SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS
photo-shathe-desk tex that. Look ting ring, sta rting this and week.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
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cessfully into a career as an entertainment lawyer in the music business, most notably representing a producer who worked with Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler and others. He also works as a mediator for the State Supreme Court. These days, he typically arbitrates a case a month and mediates another. But Arbitration Man said he has a wealth of cases from which to draw for the blog. They’re filed away in a 10th floor corner office off Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, a few blocks from where he and his wife have lived for about 35 years. There are more cases decided in small claims than in all other courts combined, and since there are more arbitrators than there are judges, a small-claims case before an arbitrator is — despite budget cuts and attendant reductions in arbitration hearings — typically heard much sooner. “They want to be heard and they want justice,” Arbitration Man said of plaintiffs and defendants. “And they don’t want to pay a zillion dollars but they want to feel vindicated and it’s my job to listen hard and de-
liver that and fit it into a framework of the law.” Although court officers and court clerks want to quickly move cases through the system, Arbitration Man said he takes his time. “I’m both the decider of the facts and of the law so I’ve got to dig out the facts from both sides and then I’ve got to figure the law and I have to do that in an hour or a half-hour,” he said. “But I’m in no hurry. I’m a freebie.” And since arbitrators’ hearings are less formal than proceedings before a judge, they can assume a populist flavor, particularly in his hearing room. “They’re representing themselves. What you have are amateur lawyers, many times carefully rehearsed,” he said. “They try to read their stories to me. I usually say I’d rather you not read it to me, I’d rather you tell me, just tell me what’s on your mind, what happened here.” Which is what a pseudonymous Dick and Jane did a few years ago when they sought relief for botched renovation work. Dick and Jane — although small-claims are public matters, Arbitration Man changes the names of all whom he blogs about “to protect their privacy” — had hired Handyman, on the recommendation of a friend but without further discussion
of his skills, to scrape and sand their apartment’s wood floors and to sand and paint kitchen cabinets. They agreed to price of $2,500, which Handyman was paid on his first day of work. Two days later, Handyman had “wrecked the place,” according to the plaintiffs. At the hearing, Dick and Jane took turns documenting, verbally and by using pictures, how Handyman had carved grooves in the wood floors and done a shoddy paint job. They asked for a $2,500 judgment and another $2,500 to reimburse them for corrective work done by another contractor. Arbitration Man said the couple had not inquired about Handyman’s skills and experience, nor if he had a license or even the proper tools. All of which would be required for the job they hired him to do, he said. And without all those, Arbitration Man wrote on his blog, it was likely they “would get a botched job rather than a pro fes sional result. It is not work for a rookie or novice.” Still, he granted them the contract price of $2,5000. Awarding them the additional $2,500 would have meant their renovations would have cost nothing. “That would not be fair, would it?” he wrote.
APRIL 9-15,2015
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ing increase in revenue for the DOB. In 2014, the department made $16,628,530 off the issuance of after-hours work variances, a 33 percent increase from 2012. A DOB spokesperson denied the variance increase is tied to any budget initiatives, and said money earned from permit issuance is put into the city’s general fund. The DOB’s annual budget in 2014 was $107 million, an 11 percent increase from 2012. According to DOB’s website, variances cost anywhere from $100 for a one- to three-day permit to $500 for 13-14 days of work. Applicants can extend a variance based on their needs. “When an applicant files for an after-hour variance, they are making the justification based upon the specific type of work they are doing,” said a DOB spokesperson. “This means, they must provide a public safety or need, or similar type of justification for the variance.” According to the spokesperson, reasons for DOB granting an after-hours work variance include work done at schools outside of regular hours to insure student safety, high-risk work done adjacent to public
spaces, work that could adversely affect traffic if done during normal waking hours, and projects where expediency benefits a public good. None of those justifications are likely to matter to Jane Bonia, who says that noise from the all-night project near her home on East 51st Street and 2nd Avenue kept her up all night long. “It started around 8 p.m. and went until 6 a.m,” said Bonia. “They would bang on metal all night long, and there was no way I was able to get any sleep.” Bonia recently returned home after an extended stay in the hospital, and hasn’t heard any overnight construction for the past week or so, but she said that it made her “damn mad” when the noise was keeping her up. “I don’t they should be building overnight,” said Bonia. “I think these buildings should have a certain schedule and stick to it and get the job done during people’s waking hours, and not work past 8 or 9 p.m.” On the Upper East Side, the DOB increased its approval of after-hours work applications 35 percent between 2012 and 2014, with the most significant increase found in residential construction. According to the New York
DOB AFTER-HOURS WORK VARIANCES GRANTED BY NEIGHBORHOOD AND YEAR 2012
2013
2014
Alphabet City, East Village, 771 Lower East Side, Chinatown
827
1,207
1,697 Greenwich Village, West Village, NoHo, SoHo, Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy
2,158
2,655
TriBeca/Financial District/ Two Bridges/ Battery Park
3,395
50% OFF
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
2,576
4,144
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Photo: Victoria Pickering, via Flickr Building Congress, a trade group, the DOB authorized construction of 20,329 residential units in 1,513 buildings in 2014, an 11 percent increase (in units) from 2013. In the same period, the number of after-hours work variances went up 15 percent for all types of construction, including commercial and public construction. The uptick in after-hours construction has not escaped the notice of local elected of-
ficials. Last year, Upper East Side Councilmember Dan Garodnick introduced a bill with Councilmember Rosie Mendez designed to cut down on the number of permits that are granted. The bill would also make more transparent the city’s reasoning when a 24hour work permit is granted and would notify residents sooner when after-hours work is slated to begin. On the Upper West Side, the
DOB has increased the issuance of its variances by 31 percent from 2012 to 2014, according to data obtained under the Freedom of Informationn Act. The increase in residential construction is also apparent in the neighborhood, with 637 after-hours work variances being granted in 2012 compared to 1,107 in 2014, according to DOB data. In Lower Manhattan the trend is even more pronounced.
In TriBeCa and the Financial District, the DOB granted 4,144 after-hours work variances, a 38 percent increase from 2012. In Chinatown, the East Village and the Lower East Side, DOB granted 1,207 variances, a 26 percent increase from 2012. In Greenwich Village, the West Village, SoHo and NoHo, the DOB granted 2,655 variances, also a 36 percent increase from 2012.
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Voices
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor. Letters STRONG RESPONSE TO GALE BREWER RENT PROPOSAL Last week’s editorial, “A Shot at a Small Business Breakthrough,” praised the efforts of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to offer some help to small businesses facing crushing rent increases. The editorial prompted a strong reaction, mainly from people opposed to Brewer’s plan and in support of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, a related, but different, proposal that has languished before the Council for years. A selection of reactions follows:
It’s good to see more interest in and action on the plight of small businesses, but the efforts need to be something that actually helps small businesses in real and lasting ways. If Brewer joined City Councilmembers and local groups in supporting the SBJSA we could achieve actual positive change for local businesses that would allow them to stay in their locations rather than merely granting them more time to pack their bags when they are inevitably priced out. Stephanie B. (all comments from the web) Brewer’s championing of the small business community is suspect at best given that the Small Business Jobs Survival Act is a solution that actually reflects the real needs of our 185,000 small businesses. More than that, all but two City Council Members in Manhattan have signed on as co-sponsors of the SBJSA. Does Brewer represent a secret constituency that the rest of Manhattan’s elected officials somehow don’t have access to? The fact is small business in NYC reflects the largest aggregate employer in NYC and they are the backbones of our economic communities. To suppose that non-binding arbitration and tax credits for landlords is the solution—as Brewer supposes—to this crisis is naive to say the least. Is the small business community expected to be excited that through the grace of Brewer’s shoddy bill they get an extra year tacked on to their lifetime of work? The SBJSA guarantees the right to a 10-year minimum lease with equal negotiating power as the landlord. There is a clear distinction here: A one-year token and then your dreams are out on the streets along with your staff or, the capacity to negotiate on equal footing through real binding arbitration and guaranteeing the continued operation of your business in the community you helped build? Shame on Brewer for compromising the future of NYC’s small business community. Akie Unfortunately, BP Brewer’s proposal will do nothing to change the status quo, unlike the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, a bill with real muscle which sits in the Committee on Small Business of the City Council. Mediation without the “teeth” of binding arbitration is virtually meaningless, particularly in this landlord-friendly real estate market: Why on earth would a landlord lower the rent voluntarily? A one-year lease extension (with a 15% rent increase) is a slap in the face to any small business, which will likely have to leave at the end of that year anyway. The SBJSA also offers 10-year lease renewals, which are vital to the survival of small businesses. Another fatal flaw in Brewer’s proposal is that it only pertains to storefront spaces. What about the tens of thou sands of upper-story commercial renters, such as artists, small medical offices, design firms, carpentry shops, etc? Only the SBJSA covers ALL commercial leases in NYC. The Small Business Jobs Survival Act is a real bill with real teeth, and it sits in the committee on small Business NOW. Brewer’s proposal is a pale version of that bill. Jenny D.
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Members of the Library Lovers League, a network of residents calling attention to shrinkage within the New York Public Library system, gathered in front of the main branch on Fifth Avenue in December 2013. Photo by PictureNewYork LG, via Flckr
MR. MAYOR, FIND MONEY FOR LIBRARIES “While the library system is there for all, no one is there for it.” BY DOLORES DE CRISANTI
Dear Mayor de Blasio: As I am a woman of many interests but with little money, the New York Public Library has been my ‘go to’ place for knowledge, work, physical exercise and entertainment. All the programs, events and classes that I have participated in have been first-rate and free. And while I have not been in each of the system’s branches, I have used 11 out of the 42 in Manhattan, taking computer courses; watching movies and staged readings of Shakespeare and other plays; listening to opera and Broadway tunes; attending talks from authors on books as diverse as breast cancer treatments through the ages and the mad bomber of New York City; and attending yoga and other exercise classes. All of the classes were taught by knowledgeable, caring people, the kind of instructors that take time to make sure everyone understands the material as it’s presented. And all of the library employees I’ve encountered have taken that extra step to make me and all their patrons welcome and comfortable. For example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, when all electricity was out below 39th Street, the staff at the Grand Central branch brought desks and chairs from private offices and rooms to accommodate me and the many other New Yorkers who needed to use and recharge computers. I’m sure the same thing happened at the other branches that were not affected by the blackout. But while the library system is there for all, no one is there for it. It desperately needs money.
Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Sr. Account Executive, Tania Cade
The NYPL needs money for books. In quite of few of the branches, the shelves are only three-quarters full. Due to cost cutting, the periodical desk at the Mid-Manhattan branch has reduced the number of newspapers and magazines it stocks. Some of the branch’s reference books are so old they are no longer helpful. The NYPL needs money for their elevators. Starting in May, the elevator in Epiphany branch, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood, will be out of use for a necessary upgrade. The elevators in the MidManhattan branch also need an upgrade. While I’m sure they are perfectly safe, their conditions do little to make me feel that I will make it to the next floor without incident. The NYPL needs money for general maintenance. Some of the branches have torn carpet or missing floor tiles or even leaky roofs. Most are in need of a coat of paint. Many of its chairs are so unsteady should be replaced. The NYPL needs money for its facilities. In some restrooms, automatic hand dryers don’t work or the paper towel dispenser is broken. If there are two or more stalls, one is likely to have a broken lock. The Grand Central, one of the newest branches, is an exception. On its first floor, it has three individual restrooms that are bigger than those found in most New York apartments. They are in wonderful condition. But in some of the other branches, like the Epiphany, have only a single, unisex restroom, accessible with a key. And while this arrangement isn’t ideal, it is definitely better than what’s found at the Jefferson Market branch: It doesn’t have an adult public restroom at all! It does have a closely guarded one for children and their caretakers, but for other library patrons, if nature calls,
President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope Fred Almonte, Susan Wynn editor.ot@strausnews.com Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com
they have to leave the library and visit an accommodating business on Sixth Avenue. A librarian suggested that the library just doesn’t have the money to install a proper adult restroom. Where money is spent, the results are remarkable. The Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) is in wonderful condition and has plenty of computers, workspaces and comfortable chairs. The glass elevators are pleasant to ride and the ladies room is in good repair. The Kips Bay branch is another branch were money was well spent. Since its overhaul, it is light, spacious and airy. On the first floor there are several computers, plenty of tables and chairs. I found the large comfortable club chairs in this branch, as well as in the Grand Central Branch, a perfect place to spend a couple of hours with a good book. The children’s area, on branch’s second floor, is well stocked with books and games and child-sized furniture — wonderful for a rainy day or after-school activities. There is also a section of adult club chairs on this floor. The children’s rooms in the Jefferson Market, Grand Central and Kips Bay branches all seem to be in good shape. The NYPL does spend money for the children of New York. That is money well spent. But much of the New York Public Library system needs an upgrade. It should be in much better condition. And more money from the fiscal budget will make it so. So please, Mayor de Blasio, do not forget this wonderful New York resource. Please make sure that it is properly funded so that we can all use and enjoy this important institution for many, many more years.
Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons
Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
APRIL 9-15,2015
Reach Manhattan’s Foodies
Sixth Borough
The Cargotecture Solution BY BECCA TUCKER hat will the neighbors think? We are contemplating our next chicken coop. Every inch of animal quarters is maxed — including a forgotten doghouse that the hens have taken to laying eggs in — and our next batch of chicks is arriving in mid-May. That gives us six weeks to figure out a solution to what is, for us, a novel conundrum. The last place we lived was a 48-acre farm with a huge old barn and a variety of outbuildings that we threw a few nest boxes into and maybe a door and, voila, a coop. Our current home came with a shed that once housed one or maybe two horses, which husband Joe retrofitted into a goatshed-cum-chicken coop. But building a coop from scratch is another story. There are no other structures lying around in back of our acreage, waiting to be filled with chickens. We’ve looked. We keep eyeing the garage, but as of yet I am resisting that option. Even though we’ve stopped parking our car in there after mice set up camp in the engine block, it’s still nice to have a spot to keep things like cribs, kayaks and bikes where they won’t get covered with chicken poop. Building a new coop is preferable to buying something in terms of feeling cool, but it’s also intimidating. At our last place I tried to spearhead the construction of a lean-to greenhouse — just three walls and a roof that leans up against the house — and got stuck on the difficulty of pouring a concrete floor. So I’m not sure we’re ready to erect a structure that can withstand predators as large as the bears that I hear we have on our mountain. Plus we’d have to go through the building department for a permit, which sounds boring.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
I’ve been haunting the farm + garden tab on Craigslist, looking: old livestock or camping trailers, existing barns or coops that need to be picked up and moved, Amish-built sheds. All possibilities. But the forerunner at the moment, in my mind at least, is the cargo container. (Joe is leaning equally hard toward the more neighborly Amish sheds, so we will see.) Once you start really seeing these things, you wonder, as you speed up to squeeze between two of them on the New Jersey Turnpike, how you failed to notice them before. These 40-foot by eight-foot Legos (along with their half-size, and slightly taller, variations) are the building blocks of our military-industrial complex, the stackable unit around which ships, trains and trucks have all been designed. After they’ve come to the end of their useful life ferrying our Amazon orders from China through Newark to our door, we are left with a startling number of empty cargo containers, particularly in America where we import more than we export. You can buy these slightly rusty industrial Legos relatively cheap. The lowest bid I’ve found is $1,845, delivery included. For 320 square feet of space, that’s unbeatable. There are issues, like the floor, which has been treated with pesticides and should probably come out or be covered over; and the airtightness of the thing, which does not make for a healthy atmosphere and will require cutting through steel to create windows for light and ventilation. Still, re-using one of these existing behemoths is the greenest option I can think of, alongside maybe crafting something from downed limbs from our property. Sure, we could splurge and buy a cedar mini-barn, but part of what we’re up to is not only producing food, but
encouraging other people to do it, too. What better way to make keeping chickens more accessible than to house them in the most readily available building block on the planet? But what will the neighbors think? They have been extremely generous about buying our eggs and claiming the baby goat’s hollering doesn’t bother them. Will a shipping container on our private mountain alter relations ever so slightly? I am reminded of the RV that my dad bought on the occasion of his midlife crisis. When he wasn’t vagabonding around the country, he parked the thing next to our fraying trampoline, just beyond the invisible line in our yard where the historic district ended. That heap of metal didn’t do much to further the village’s 18th century vibe, and severely undermined the effect of the neighbor’s rose garden. Bedford, New York, may never get over it. It’s true that you can do beautiful things with “cargotecture.” Google has proof. A summer escape in Sardinia, off-grid houses and fully-decked out houses, prefab classrooms with living roofs, and a restaurant made of 19 of the things. Brooklyn’s DeKalb market, full of artisan vendors, is created entirely from the half-size versions fitted with glass sliding doors. But let’s be honest, we’re not going to do those things. We’re going to shear out a window or two, if we can figure out how to cut through corrugated steel, and call it a day. Maybe we’ll recruit an artistically inclined friend to paint a chicken on it, and I’m thinking we could put some potted trees on the roof, where they might actually be safe from the deer, along with our oversized picnic table. It’s a big table for just the three of us. I hope we’ll still have friends.
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FES TIVALS
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Downtowner Prototypes for chicken coops at a freight container yard in Newark, N.J. Photo: Herman Yung, via Flickr
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
YOU READ IT HERE FIRST The local paper for the Upper West Side
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com
Safety Advocates Want Harsher Penalties for New York’s Drivers
abronsartscenter.org/ performances/a-james-tenneyconcert-the.html
THE TRAGEDY AFTER INVESTIGATION As many as 260 pedestrians are expected to die this year on New York City streets. But almost none of the drivers involved in those cases will be prosecuted -- adding to the nightmare for the families of the victims.
see Reyes punished for Ariel’s death, now more than a year and a half ago, in June 2013. Russo said in an interview that she finds cruel irony in the fact that she teaches history to boys the same age as Reyes, who was 17 when he ran over Ariel and her grandmother in a Nissan Frontier SUV in front of the little girl’s preschool on the Upper West Side. This is why she initially sympa
sterdam Avenue in an attempt to flee from cops who had seen him driving erratically and ordered him to pull over. The chase ended with the fatal crash on 97th Street. Originally, by giving him bail and charging him as a minor, Judge Carro was giving Reyes a chance to avoid having a public criminal record. But on Sept. 3, Reyes was again stopped for driving recklessly, without a license This time in speeding
▲ WORK UP March 2, 2015
December 4, 2014
Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, 280 Broadway, entrance at 53 Chambers St 7:30pm, $20 general, $15 seniors and students Emerging dance artists will take the stage and entertain with their new dance performance series. (646)837-6809, www. gibneydance.org/workup
The local paper for the Upper East Side
12 November 5, 2014
April 17, 2014 The local paper for the Upper West Side
▲ RACHEL CORRIE BENEFIT PERFORMANCE
LOST DOG TALE, WITH A TWIST
45 Bleeker Street and Lafayette St. 7 p.m., $100 Learn about the life of Rachel Corrie, an activist who died in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through this play. (212)925-1806, www. rachelcorriefoundation.org
LOCAL NEWS
A family hopes that Upper West Siders will help bring their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel back home Upper West Side For the past week, Eva Zaghari and her three children from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, have been papering the Upper West Side with over 1,300 flyers asking for information on their beloved dog Cooper. ?We are devastated, please return our dog,? the sign implores. The catch though, is that Cooper didn?t technically get lost, or even stolen. He was given away. When she explains the story, sitting at Irving Farm coffee shop on West 79th Street before heading out to post more flyers around the neighborhood, Eva and her kids are visibly distraught. About a month ago, on September 5th, her husband Ray had arranged to give the dog away, via a Craigslist ad. He mistakenly thought that removing a source of stress from his wife and kids ? walking and feeding and caring for a dog, tasks which had fallen mostly to Eva ? would make everyone happier
▼ MOLLY POPE LIKES
October 2, 2014
October 8, 2014
FI R S T I N YOU R N E I G H BO R H O O D
(212) 868-0190 The local paper for the Upper East Side
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The local paper for the Upper West Side
The local paper for Downtown
YOUR STATUS The Duplex, 61 Christopher St and 7th Ave South 9:30pm, Cover $5-$25 plus two drink minimum Check out Molly Pope’s alto range as she entertains with Contemporary pop songs accompanied by Brian Nash on the piano. (212)255-5438, www. theduplex.com/site/
HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL Quad Cinema 34 W 13th St between 5th and 6th Ave. 6pm, Individual tickets $12$14 Enjoy the flavors of various movies from this Cuban film festival. Loaded week with panels and great movies. (212)255-2243, www.hffny. com/2015/
SO PERCUSSION
11 A JAMES TENNEY CONCERT: THE POSTAL PIECES AND OTHER SELECTED WORKS Abron Arts Center, 466 Grand St and Willett St. 4-6pm ,$15 general, $10 students Check out this rarely performed works by composer James Tenney (1934-2006). (212)598-0400, www.
Abron Arts Center/ Henry Street settlement, 466 Grand St and Pitt St. 3pm, Free Listen to artists use an array of instruments to play music from today’s time as part of the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood concert. (212)598-0400, www.carnegiehall.org/ Calendar/2015/4/12/0300/ PM/NEIGHBORHOODCONCERT-SO-PERCUSSION/
APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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13 AN EVENING WITH THE LOCALIST: TALK AND BOOK SIGNING
Check out this dance organization melded in its Latino roots during its New York season. Families can enjoy fun dances choreographed by Mexico-based choreographer Miguel Mancillas. (212)242-0800, www.joyce. org
Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street and Stanton St. 7pm, Free Join author Carrie Rollawagen as she talks about how to buy local on her East Coast train tour. (212) 777-6028, www. bluestockings.com/events/
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▲ LITTLE THEATRE
Clifton Benevento, 515 Broadway between Broome and Spring ST. 11am-6pm, Free Mexican artist Martin Climent incorporates pantyhose in his installation illustrating the theme of death in this exhibit. (212)431-6325, www. cliftonbenevento.com
Dixion Place, 161A Chrystie St between Delancy and Rivington St 7:30pm, $15 general, $12 advance Check out a new performance in the April 13th edition of Little Theatre with work by Admiral Grey, Kate Benson, William Burke, Sonya Sobieski and Frederick Alden Terry. (212)219-0736, www. dixonplace.org
14 PEN PARENTIS LITERARY SALON FEATURES A FANTASY SALON ANDAZ Wall Street, 75 Wall St. 7PM, Free, Must be 21+ RSVP strongly suggested. Featuring Marly Youmans, Kelly Link and Lev Grossman, followed by lively moderated discussion centering around the balance of family demands and creative career. info@ penparentis.org
BALLET HISPANICO The Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Avenue and 19th St. 7:30pm, Starting at $10
illustrate a story within a story. All materials will be provided. (212) 477-6770, www.nypl.org/events/ calendar?location=67
16 TINY POETS TIME 10 River Terrace
▼ THE 10am, Free CONTEMPORARY Bring your toddlers to enjoy COMEDY: GLOSSY MINT some poetry readings at tiny
COMIC STRIP BOOK MARKS Seaward Park Library, 192 E Broadway 4pm, Free Create a book mark out of comic strips and let your creation
poets time. (212) 431-7920, www. poetshouse.org/childrens-room/ visit
TRIBECCA FILM FESTIVAL DRIVE-IN Brookfield Place Plaza, 220 Vesey St and Water Street 6pm, Free Bring the whole family to watch The Muppets take Manhattan as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Festivities. Open to all ages. (212)417-7000, www. tribecafilm.com
Downtowner
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN/WEILL CO
Internationally Renowned Expert Dr. Howard Fine to Lead New Brain Tumor Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Care and Outreach for People Living with Epilepsy Patient and Family Support
PEER GROUPS We invite you to come and share your experience of living with epilepsy. We offer two groups that each meet once every two weeks. This will be a conďŹ dential forum for open discussion, an opportunity to gather and share information, and to form a connection with others living with epilepsy. These groups will be facilitated by a non-professional living with epilepsy, and supervised by Luydmila Jovine, LCSW. Better Together Group This group will engage in ongoing discussions about the concerns that come up in living with epilepsy and managing this condition. Members will decide on the topic each week with the group leader. Come and share what has been helpful to you, and discover the experiences of others. Artistic Expressions Group This group will focus on creativity and the transformative potential artistic expression offers in helping to manage epilepsy well. Come hear how music may be used to help uncover hidden emotional responses and stimulate creative insights. Weill Cornell Medical College, Room A-126 1300 York Avenue at 69th Street
FREE
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side at York Avenue and 68th Street, comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. For general information, call 212-746-5454. For information about physicians and patient programs, call 877-NYP-WELL. WWW NYP ORG s WEILL CORNELL EDU Produced by the Public Affairs Department of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, 212-821-0560.
r. Howard Fine has been appointed to lead a newly established neuro-oncology program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He will serve as director of the Brain Tumor Center and associate director for translational research in the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College, as well as chief of the Division of Neuro-Oncology in the Department of Neurology
grams at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Matthew Fink, neurologist-in-chief at NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell and the Louis and Gertrude Feil Professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr. Fine will collaborate with our world-class neurosurgeons in translating research to the clinical setting, particularly in the area of precision and personalized therapies,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Philip Stieg, neurosurgeon-inchief at NewYork-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell and professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Fine received his medical degree at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,
followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Most recently, Dr. Fine served as deputy director of the Cancer Center and director of the Brain Tumor Center at NYU Langone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As part of the Meyer Cancer Center, the Weill Cornell Brain Tumor Center at NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital will offer its patients the highest level of comprehensive state-of-the-art care delivered by nationally renowned clinical experts from multiple disciplines,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Fine said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this level of world-class clinical and scientiďŹ c expertise, along with an institutional commitment to the vision of a better future for patients suffering with brain tumors, NewYork-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell is uniquely positioned to make a huge impact on the ďŹ eld by providing innovative and highly effective treatments for patients with brain tumors.â&#x20AC;?
NewYork-Presbyterian Employees Receive High Honors
LOCATION:
To join a peer group, please call: Luydmila Jovine, LCSW, BCD, 212-746-2471 www.cornellepilepsy.com
D
at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. He has also been named to the faculty of the Departments of Medicine and Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. At NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, Dr. Fine will establish a state-of-the-art research and clinical program that will provide cutting-edge treatments for patients with brain tumors. Prior to joining NewYork-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell, he built two of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading neuro-oncology programs, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Center for NeuroOncology at Harvard Medical School and the Neuro-Oncology Branch at the National Institutes of Health. He has run a basic and translational science laboratory throughout his 26-year career, and has been involved in more than 100 brain tumor clinical trials. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The recruitment of Dr. Howard Fine will be transformational for the Department of Neurology and the clinical neuroscience pro-
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hree NewYork-Presbyterian employees were recently recognized for outstanding contributions in their respective ďŹ elds. Daniel Ribaudo, the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director of emergency medical services, received a 2015 OTTY Award. The OTTY â&#x20AC;&#x201D; short for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Town Thanks Youâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is given to exceptional individuals whose work has improved the lives of Upper East Side residents. Gina Czark and Jessica Fillinger, who comprise NewYork-Presbyterianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media team, drew recognition for their work building the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media presence. Bulldog Reporter awarded NewYork-Presbyterian the 2014 Gold award for Digitally/Socially Engaged Brand of the Year in its national Bulldog Reporter Digital/Social PR Awards program. NewYork-Presbyterian is the ďŹ rst hospital to be awarded Gold in this category. Winners are determined by working journalists who judge brands based on creativity, originality, strategy, execution and results.
Daniel Ribaudo
Jessica Fillinger and Gina Czark
APRIL 9-15,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SPRING 2015
ORNELL
$25 Million Gift from Gale and Ira Drukier Creates the Drukier Institute for Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health at Weill Cornell Medical College
W
eill Cornell Medical College has received a $25 million gift from Gale and Ira Drukier to establish the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health, a premier, cross-disciplinary institute dedicated to understanding the underlying causes of diseases that are devastating to children. Its goal will be to rapidly translate basic research breakthroughs into the most advanced therapies for patients. The extraordinary gift will enable the medical college to recruit a team of leading scientists, including a renowned expert who will serve as the Gale and Ira Drukier Director, to pursue innovative research that improves treatments and therapies for the littlest patients. The Drukier Institute, a marquee program that will be headquartered on the 12th ďŹ&#x201A;oor of Weill Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Belfer Research Building, will also expand and enhance the medical collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already-distinguished research and clinical care programs that strive to end diseases and disorders that affect children and adolescents, including asthma, autism, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious Gale and Ira Drukier diseases and schizophrenia. Using genomics and other cutting-edge research approaches, the cross-disciplinary Drukier Institute will drive excellence and innovation in pediatrics, seeking to rapidly and seamlessly catalyze research breakthroughs into the most advanced, safe and effective patient care.
Researchers Produce First Map of New York City Subway System Microbes
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he microbes that call the New York City subway system home are mostly harmless, but include samples of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to drugs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and even DNA fragments associated with anthrax and Bubonic plague â&#x20AC;&#x201D; according to a citywide microbiome map from Weill Cornell Medical College investigators. The study, published in Cell Systems, demonstrates that it is useful to develop a â&#x20AC;&#x153;pathogen mapâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dubbed a â&#x20AC;&#x153;PathoMapâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of a city, with the heavily traveled subway a proxy for New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population. It is a baseline assessment, and repeated sampling could be used for longterm, accurate disease surveillance, bioterrorism threat mitigation, and large scale health management for New York, says the studyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior investigator, Dr. Christopher E. Mason, an assistant professor in Weill Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Physiology and Biophysics and in the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Institute for Computational Biomedicine. The research team used nylon swabs to collect, in triplicate, DNA from turnstiles, wooden and metal benches, stairway hand railings, trashcans, and kiosks in all open subway stations in 24 subway lines in ďŹ ve boroughs. The team also collected samples from the inside of trains, including seats, doors, poles and handrails. The ďŹ ndings are generally reassuring, indicating no need to avoid the subway
Dr. Christopher E. Mason
system or use protective gloves. The majority of the 637 known bacterial, viral, fungal and animal species Dr. Mason and his co-authors detected were not associated with disease and represent normal bacteria present on human skin and body. Culture experiments found that all subway sites tested possess live bacteria. About half of the sequences of DNA they collected could not be identiďŹ ed. These represent organisms that New Yorkers touch every day, but were uncharacterized and undiscovered until this study. The ďŹ ndings underscore the potential for scientiďŹ c exploration that is still largely untapped and yet under scientistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ďŹ ngertips. But 12 percent of the bacteria species the investigators sampled showed some association with disease. Live, antibioticresistant bacteria were present in 27 percent of the samples. And they detected
two samples with DNA fragments of anthrax and three samples with a plasmid associated with Bubonic plague, both at very low levels. The presence of these DNA fragments donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t indicate that they are alive, and culture experiments showed no evidence of them being alive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Despite ďŹ nding traces of pathogenic microbes, their presence isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t substantial enough to pose a threat to human health,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Mason says. Scientists believe that the diversity of microorganisms that are present in, on and around humans comprise a signiďŹ cant component of overall health. In the average human, there are 10 times as many microbes as human cells, and products processed by these microbes comprise more than one-third of the active, small molecules in the bloodstream. This collective microbiome is seen to impact health by exacerbating or resisting infectious diseases, controlling obesity risk, and regulating metabolic rates. Yet there is very little known about the native microbial communities that surround people in streets, buildings or public transit areas. Projects are already underway that build upon PathoMapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial data. Collaborators across the country have collected samples from airports, subways, transit hubs, taxis and public parks located in 14 states â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, Texas and California.
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Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Talk About Cancer: The Diagnosis and Treatment of Lymphoma and Colorectal Cancer John P. Leonard, M.D. Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, M.D.
On the Skin: Skin Conditions, Bacteria and What We Touch Every Day Karen A. Chernoff, M.D. Christopher E. Mason, Ph.D.
Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for the Aging Population Jaclyn H. Bonder, M.D. Katerina Fishman, P.T., D.P.T.
M AY
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Spine Health: Help is on the Way for Neck and Back Pain A Multidisciplinary Approach Naomi Feuer, M.D. Roger Hartl, M.D. Jaspal R. Singh, M.D. Lisa R. Witkin, M.D.
Seminars begin at 6:30 p.m. and are held at Uris Auditorium, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue (at 69th St.). For more information, if you require a disability-related accommodation, or for weather-related cancellations, please call: 212-821-0888. Or visit our website at: www.weill.cornell.edu/seminars All seminars are FREE and open to the public. Seating is DYDLODEOH IRU SHRSOH RQ D ÂżUVW FRPH ÂżUVW VHUYHG EDVLV
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SPRING ARTS GUIDE BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
After an elongated, arduous winter, a full calendar of spring arts events makes it easy to get out and enjoy the neighborhood as the weather warms. Here’s our preview of upcoming arts and cultural events in the neighborhood. No hats or gloves required.
MUSEUMS AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE
Willem de Kooning, 1904-1997 Woman and Bicycle, (1952-1953) Oil, enamel. and charcoal on linen, 76 1/2 x 49 1/8in. (194.3 x 124.8 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 55.35 © 2014 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), N.Y.
The Whitney Museum of American Art’s first exhibition in its new home seems by nature celebratory of both American art and the museum’s holdings, and with good reason. The new, Renzo Piano-designed building on Gansevoort Street—four years in the making—opens May 1, with a massive exhibition surveying 115 years of American art. Comprised entirely of work from the museum’s permanent collection, with some 600 pieces by 400 artists organized into 23 different “chapters,” the exhibit thematically links the work, but strings the sections together chronologically. Starting in a first floor gallery, with a section titled “Eight West Eighth,” the exhibit starts with works from the Whitney’s modest origins as an exhibition space in Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s gallery 100 years ago. Additional sections devoted to the idea of America as a place, with works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper and Bill Traylor, Pop art (with Jasper Johns’ “Three Flags” as well as work by Andy Warhol and Garry Winogrand), and Minimalism follow, concluding with “Course of Empire” in the fifth floor wing, a section that examines the present day. America is Hard to See May 1-Sept. 27 Whitney Museum of American Art 99 Gansevoort St., between Washington and West Streets Museum hours: Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m., and Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Admission $22 For more information, visit whitney. org or call 212-570-3600
LIFE AT THE LIMITS: STORIES OF AMAZING SPECIES This new special exhibit explores how some species survive in the most improbable conditions, whether at the darkest depths of the ocean, in extremely hot or cold temperatures, or years without food and water. With a life-size replica of an elephant seal, which can hold its breath for two hours while it hunts thanks to its excess of hemoglobin, live sea creatures, including mantis shrimp, which deliver powerful blows that can shatter the shells of their prey (and even aquarium glass) the exhibit examines how life endures and adapts to bizarre circumstances. Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species Through January 3, 2016 American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street Museum hours: 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. daily Admission $27 (includes admission to the museum and one special exhibit) For more information, call 212-7695100 or visit amnh.org
MUSIC ST. URBAN SALON SERIES: NEW WORK BY KINAN AZMEH Pianist Lenore Davis hosts a regular chamber music series in her exquisite apartment on Central Park West, with each series centering on a theme. This season, the programs focus on the connection between music and written texts, but she takes the final performance of the series out of her living room and into a downtown music club, premiering a commissioned song cycle by Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, which he pairs with texts by contemporary Syrian poets in exile. St. Urban Salon Series: New Work by Kinan Azmeh Saturday, May 9 Subculture 45 Bleecker St., near Lafayette
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APRIL 9-15,2015 This life-size model (20 feet) is of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), which spends two months a year living on land in Antarctica and the rest of the year hunting for fish and squid in the frigid Southern Ocean. While hunting, the elephant seal can dive down nearly a mile and may not resurface to breathe for up to two hours. © AMNH/D. Finnin
Street 7:30 p.m. Tickets $35 To purchase tickets, visit subculturenewyork.com or call 212533-5470
KIDS FILM FORUM JR. Film Forum’s children’s film series continues as part of the theater’s substantial repertory programming, with discounted tickets and late morning screenings each Sunday. Some films in the series, such as “The Goonies” and “The Neverending Story” (which screens April 11), are already much-loved children’s movies, while others, like 1941 Abbott and Costello film “Buck Privates,” may be less familiar to a young audience, but no less fun. Most films appropriate for ages 5 and up. Film Forum Jr. Sundays through June 28 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street 11 a.m. Tickets $7.50 To purchase tickets, visit filmforum. org or call 212-727-8110
FILM
“DIOR AND I” Filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng is no stranger to the world of fashion: his first film explored the legacy of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. His latest documentary follows Raf Simons, who took over as head designer for French fashion house Christian Dior after the ousting of former creative director John Galliano, as he prepares his first collection for the brand. “Dior and I” Opens April 10 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street Assorted show times Tickets $13 To purchase tickets, visit filmforum. org or call 212-727-8110
ALIEN With a new Alien film supposedly on tap, revisit the origins of the scifi thriller franchise with a midnight screening of director Ridley Scott’s frightening 1979 film, starring Sigourney Weaver in one of her earliest roles. Alien April 17-18 IFC Center 323 Sixth Ave., at W. 3rd Street Midnight Tickets $14
Tickets not yet available online; to purchase, visit the box office or call 212-924-7771
GALLERIES “MATTER OF TIME (AFFECTION, AFFLICTION)” Artist Jeremy Hatch cast a chain link fence in ceramic for this large-scale installation, and attached sculpted locks to the structure. Inspired by the international custom of leaving “love locks” on bridges (and the collapse of some sections of these bridges under the weight of the many small tokens), Hatch invites visitors to cast their own locks from plaster molds in the gallery and apply them to the fence, before firing the entire structure together at the end of the show’s run. “Matter of Time (affection, affliction)” April 10-May 8 Jane Hartsook Gallery at Greenwich House Pottery 16 Jones St., between W. 4th and Bleecker Streets Gallery hours: WednesdaySaturday, noon-6 p.m. or by appointment FREE For more information, visit greenwichhouse.org or call 212-2424106 ext. 25
POETRY POETRY WALK ON THE HIGH LINE Poets positioned throughout a 10-block stretch of the High Line perform their work for visitors of the park, from traditional readings to spoken word from regulars at the Nuyorican Poets Café on E. 3rd Street to performances by poets whose language is American Sign Language. Poetry Walk on the High Line Saturday, April 25 The High Line Starts at West 14th Street (entrance near Tenth Avenue) 6:30-9 p.m. FREE
DANCE BALLET HISPANICO Upper West Side dance company Ballet Hispanico’s spring season at the Joyce Theater includes “CARMEN:maquia,” a contemporary interpretation of Bizet’s opera that takes inspiration from the works of Picasso, “Asuka,” inspired by the life and music of “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz, and a New York premiere of Miami-based choreographer Rosie Herrera’s new work “Show.Girl.”
Ballet Hispanico April 14-26 Joyce Theater 175 Eighth Ave., at W. 19th Street Assorted show times Tickets $10-$60 To purchase tickets, visit joyce.org or call 212-242-0800
THEATER GHOST STORIES: “THE SHAWL” AND “PRAIRIE DU CHIEN” Atlantic Theater revives two shorts by famed playwright—and Atlantic Theater co-founder—David Mamet. In “The Shawl,” an amateur mystic attempts to help a grieving woman, but may have dubious intentions, while murder and suicide infuse “Prairie du Chien,” which unfolds on a Wisconsin train. Ghost Stories: “The Shawl” and “Prairie Du Chien” May 27-June 28 Atlantic Theater Stage 2 330 W. 16th St., between Eighth and Ninth Avenues Assorted show times Tickets $20-$55 To purchase tickets, visit atlantictheater.org or call 866-8114111
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Food & Drink
< SELLING CHURROS IS RISKY BUSINESS On March 28, three women were arrested in the Union Square subway station for selling churros, DNAinfo reported. Selling food without a license is illegal in New York city, and vendors must also seek permission from the Metropolitan Transit Authority to sell
anything on the subway or train platforms, but arrests aren’t uncommon. According to DNAinfo, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer wrote a letter to the MTA following the arrests, asking that the agency develop a system that would allow food vendors to con-
duct business legally on subway platforms. Brewer wrote that “a program allowing the MTA to selectively allow for mobile vendors could have many benefits for commuters and entrepreneurs alike.”
In Brief FOUR SEASONS HEADING FOR POSSIBLE REHAUL Four Seasons landlord Aby Rosen is looking to renovate the restaurant’s dining room, the New York Post reported. Rosen, who submitted an application for renovations to Community Board 5’s landmarks committee without informing the restaurant’s owners, is looking to brighten the landmark space with a change to the walls and carpets. Though the structural elements of the dining room will remain, Rosen also hopes to make necessary electrical, plumbing and kitchen updates. The restaurant’s lease expires next year and a rent increase could force the Four Seasons to relocate.
BARBUTO TO LIKELY CLOSE ON W. 12TH STREET Jonathan Waxman’s Italian eatery Barbuto, on Washington and West 12th Streets, will likely close, Grub Street reported. The chef, who will soon open Jams in midtown’s new 1 Hotel, told Grub Street that, with the building’s recent sale to a real estate developer, the fate of the restaurant is uncertain at its present location. Waxman fully expects to reopen Barbuto in a new location if and when it shutters, he told Grub Street.
CHEVALIER OPENS IN BACCARAT HOTEL Elegant French brasserie Chevalier opens April 13 in the new Baccarat Hotel, a luxury spot on W. 53rd Street near Fifth Avenue. The hotel recruited chef Shea Gallante, who earned a Michelin star at his former restaurant Cru, to run the dining program, along with Charles Masson, manager at midtown French eatery La Grenouille for 40 years, as the restaurant’s director. The hotel’s bar, which opened in March, is already serving a Gallante menu, Eater reported, which includes lobster dumplings, duck pastrami sliders and parmesan-sourdough beignets, along with robust cocktails served in the hotel’s stores of Baccarat crystal glasses. Chevalier will open for dinner daily starting April 13 at 5:30 p.m., with lunch service expected to begin later in the month. For reservations, call 212-790-8869.
Students at P.S. 343, the Peck Slip School, on Chambers Street, enjoying their all-vegetarian lunches, which have been in place since last school year.
NO HOT DOG DAY AT THIS SCHOOL Peck Slip School becomes city’s second public school to transition to vegetarian lunch menu, and students enjoy the change BY MICKEY KRAMER
Roasted chickpeas with basil pesto served alongside butternut squash ravioli in an alfredo sauce accompanied by a green salad sounds like an elaborate meal, but for the students at P.S. 343, the Peck Slip School, it’s simply lunch on a Thursday. In the fall of 2013, Peck Slip became the second New York City public school, following P.S. 244Q in Queens, to institute an all-vegetarian lunch menu. “Once I heard about the school in Flushing choosing the all-vegetarian lunch option, I wanted to go that route, too,” the school’s principal, Maggie Siena, said. Two years ago, Siena, with guidance from The Coalition for Healthy School Food, sent an email to the parents informing them of the change. It would begin in that fall. Siena said the response from parents was “overwhelmingly positive.” “Of course you can never please everyone, parent or child,” she said. “Even at the ‘fanciest’ restaurant, there will be complaints.” Siena traces the transition to the fall of 2012, when she was given a children’s book by one of the school’s teachers, which Siena shared with her then 8- and 11-year-old children.
Reading that “animals are earthlings, too” struck a chord with Siena and her family. “My daughter asked if we could ‘go vegetarian’ for two weeks ... . And we never went back.” The school’s menu varies daily, and can include empanadas, hummus, quesadillas, lentil chili, vegan meatballs, curried tofu and, of course, the extremely popular pizza party each Friday. Every day features an “eat your colors” vegetable or legume. Examples abound: braised collard greens, black beans, chickpeas, kale and roasted cauliflower. Fruit features, too. Peck Slip, though, is not a “meat-free” school: Some students can, and do, bring their own lunch. Still, Siena notes that the kung pao tofu with lo mein and butternut squash raviolis are favorites. And while the pizza, always topped with a vegetable, seemed to be the consensus favorite, some students even said they enjoyed the salads. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Daryl, 8, clad in a New York Giants jersey, spoke of his love of the plantains served the day before. And, he added, “the tofu is really good ... better than I had in pre-K.” His buddy, Jack, 7, in a New York Yankees hoodie agreed: “This is the first time I’ve ever liked tofu.” Jayden, also 7, though, was partial to the ever-popular grilled cheese sandwich. The Coalition for Healthy School Food was a
critical component of transitions to vegetarian lunches, first at P.S. 244Q and then at Peck Slip. Founded over 10 years ago, the coalition has helped schools switch to vegetarian or alternative menus and to wean lunches from beef, pork and processed foods such as chicken nuggets or mozzarella sticks. The coalition’s executive director, Amie Hamlin, said two of the programs also provide nutrition education: “Family dinner night” is a plant-based meal served to parents, teachers, administrators and food-service personnel as an introduction to vegan diets; and the Food on Earth curriculum is a yearlong, weekly 45-minute class for fourthand fifth-graders that includes food-preparation and nutritional education. The coalition has a limited number of slots for the fall semester, and interested schools can get in touch at healthyschoolfood.org. Siena’s school has been temporarily housed on Chambers Street at the former Tweed Courthouse, where the Department of Education also resides, but will be moving this September to its new permanent space at 1 Peck Slip St., by the South Street Seaport. It’s taking its vegetarian menu along. “The hope is that repeat exposure to some less familiar foods will lead more students, to love and appreciate them,” Siena said.
APRIL 9-15,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 28 - APR 2, 2015
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. Olive’s The Half Pint
120 Prince Street
A
234 Thompson Street Grade Pending (18) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Noho Star Restaurant
330 Lafayette Street
A
Bite
337 Lafayette Street
Grade Pending (22) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Lasso
192 Mott Street
Grade Pending (21) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston Street
A
Marumi
546 La Guardia Place
A
Little Atlas Cafe
6 West 4 Street
Grade Pending (25) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Cafe Habana/Cafe Habana To Go
17 Prince Street
A
Chop’t
54 Spring St
A
Cafe El Portal
174 Elizabeth St
Not Graded Yet (32) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Monte’s
97 Macdougal Street
Grade Pending (26) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
The Grisly Pear
107 Macdougal Street A
West 3Rd Common
1 West 3 Street
A
Prince St Pizza
27 Prince Street
A
Champanion Pizza 2 Soho
17 Cleveland Place
A
Salud Soho
107 Thompson Street
Grade Pending (26) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
The Up & Up
116 Macdougal St
A
New York University - Law School Cafe
245 Sullivan Street
A
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Ghosts of the Titanic Walking Tour
SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH, 6PM Boroughs of the Dead | Astor Place | 212-587-5389 | boroughsofthedead.com The maiden voyage of the Titanic was haunted by premonitions and eerie coincidences. Hear all the ghostly tales on a tour that ends at the Titanic’s unreached destination on the Chelsea piers. ($20/$25)
Frédéric Lenoir + Alexandra Schwartz: What Is Happiness?
TUESDAY, APRIL 14TH, 7PM The Strand | 828 Broadway | 212-473-1452 | strandbooks.com French-Madagascan philosopher Frédéric Lenoir’s discusses happiness, the subject of his bestselling book, newly translated into English. ($15 gift card purchase)
Just Announced: StarTalk Live!
THURSDAY, MAY 28TH, 8PM The Apollo Theater | 253 W. 125th St. | 212-531-5300 | apollotheater.org Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will blend science, comedy and pop culture in a special live performance of his stargazing radio show. ($37.50 and up)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
Downtowner
Advertise with Our Town Downtown today! 212-868-0190 or advertising@strausnews.com
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Property
Briefs UNION GIANT VICTOR GOTBAUM DIES A prominent labor leader who pulled New York City back from the edge of bankruptcy in 1975 died at his home in Manhattan on Sunday. Victor Gotbaum, whose cause of death was reportedly a heart attack, was 93. He was instrumental in the tense labor negotiations between the city and many of its municipal unions, including the police and highway workers, and led a strike in in the 1970s that all but shut down New York and forced the city to renegotiate on a plan to cut jobs and deny raises. From 1965 to 1986 he served as the executive director of District Council 37, the umbrella group representing over 60 union locals in the city. Born in Brooklyn, Gotbaum came of age during the Depression and started working as a cook at the young age of 13. He served as a radio operator and machine gunner during World War II and later held posts in the State Department and Labor Department. In the 1990s he was appointed to the city’s Board of Education by then-mayor David Dinkins and later wrote a book on negotiating tactics. Gotbaum is survived by his wife Betsy, four children, a step-daughter, and eight grandchildren, according to the Times.
BUSINESSES STILL RECOVERING AFTER EAST VILLAGE EXPLOSION Crain’s New York Business recently reported on the plight of small businesses located in the vicinity of the East Village explosion that occurred on March 26. Six businesses were lost in the blast, while another half-dozen remained closed more than a week after the tragedy, which claimed two lives. For those businesses that remained open around the blast, which occurred near East 7th Street and 2nd Avenue, the biggest obstacle are safety barricades that have been set up and cause most pedestrians to detour around the area entirely. According to Crain’s, pedestrians must tell officers manning the barricades what specific businesses they’re looking to visit before being allowed to pass through. The New York Daily News later reported that an illegally installed gas line was to blame for the explosion, and that the incident may result in homicide charges for those responsible. As for the businesses affected, help could come in the form of low-interest loans from the city’s Dept. of Small Business Services. The agency will be holding a neighborhood meeting within the next two weeks for affected businesses, according to Crain’s. For more information, contact SBS at 212-513-6300.
TAXI UNION BLASTS NYPD AFTER UBER VIDEO Taxi and black car drivers rallied for systemic changes to NYPD’s policing of drivers in the wake of an amateur video that surfaced showing NYPD Detective Patrick Cherry berating and threatening to arrest a black car driver. Cherry also issued three summonses to the driver. Detective Cherry was stripped of his badge and gun after the video made by the passengers went viral on social media. Drivers and organizers, many from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said they gathered at Penn Station on April 3 to tell the story of what happens when there is no video to capture their plight. “The day to day story for drivers is the economic impact that follows racist, humiliating incidents like this,” said Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai. “The driver would go to court over unjustly issued moving violations and be vulnerable to over $1,000 in fines and points on the license.” Rally organizers said they selected Penn Station for their action as “it’s especially fraught with unfair ticketing.” “We want the NYPD to know that the community stands with the workers in this industry and echoes their demand for an end to the harassment and all-too-common demonizing of taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers,” said Ali
HIGH-END APARTMENT MARKET SIZZLES NEWS Report shows prices up 8.7% in top end of market The luxury end of Manhattan real estate is booming. A first-quarter market report from Town Residential shows that the median price of a Manhattan three-or-morebedroom apartment exceeded $3.5 million in the quarter, while two-bedroom median prices topped $2 million. Those figures represent a 8.7% increase in the average sale price of a Manhattan apartment, from $1,683,216 in the first quarter of 2014 to the current $1,829,276. Market-wide, Town said apartments stayed on the market for a median of 60 days, a 23% decrease from the previous quarter.
Examining individual neighborhoods, Town reported positive pricing trends across the board in the quarter. Downtown regained the lead of the three-plus bedroom market with a median price of $3.9 million. Midtown commanded the highest median prices for two-bedrooms and downtown reported the highest one-bedrooms with $1,995,000 and $975,000, respectively. The average price of a Manhattan condo decreased 8% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014, from $2,457,797 to $2,257,105, while experiencing a 6.17% boost year-over-year. When compared to the same period in 2014, limited inventory coupled with continued low interest rates resulted in a 5% reduction to 71 median days on market. The cooperative market demon-
strated modest quarter-over-quarter growth to a reported average sales price of $1,194,152 and average price per square foot of $1,047. Contrary to market-wide findings, there was a 10% increase in median days on market from 80 days in the fourth quarter to currently reported 88. “We continue to see numbers trend higher than 2014 – but at a slower and healthier rate,” said Andrew Heiberger, founder and chief executive officer of Town Residential. “The inventory crunch continues, and while the power is currently still in the hands of the seller, it is the distinctive properties that are priced appropriately which are garnering the most attention from buyers.” Wendy Maitland, Town’s president of sales, said signs for the second quarter are strong, as well. “When comparing the activity in March 2015 to February 2015, there has been a 23.5% increase in contracts signed within the $10 million and up ultra-luxury market and a 22.3% increase within the $5 million to $10 million segment,” she said. “An analysis of the properties in contract underscores the importance of pricing based on the context of the current market.”
APRIL 9-15,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THE TAX COSTS OF FREE HEALTH CARE HEALTH Tallying the ties between health insurance and taxes BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
As the April 15 tax deadline nears, people who got help paying for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s law are seeing the direct effect on their refunds -- hundreds of dollars, for better or worse. The law offers tax credits so people without access to jobbased health insurance can buy private coverage. Because these subsidies are tied to income, consumers must accurately estimate what they will make for the coming year. That’s been a challenge for millions of people. Guess on the low side, get more help now with premiums, but owe money later at filing time. Overestimate income, expect bucks back from the taxman. Many consumers may not have understood that is how it works when they signed up. Some experts caution that such complications could discourage uninsured people from getting covered. Rob Tuck of Dublin, California, said he had anticipated a refund of about $400 on his 2014 taxes. But that almost has been wiped out because he had to repay some of the subsidy. He changed jobs during the year, and his income went up a little. Tuck, who works for a San Francisco area tech-support
company, said he enrolled to avoid tax penalties for being uninsured, but feels penalized anyway now. “I was expecting to get dinged a little bit, but I was actually kind of surprised when it came down that much,” he said. Kelsey Park started out 2014 in Dallas, earning good commissions by selling wedding gowns. She left for graduate school at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and signed up for coverage through the law. She ended up overestimating her income because she didn’t get another job as anticipated. Park’s tax refund came to $2,500, partly because she had too much income tax withheld and partly because she received a smaller health care subsidy than she was entitled to. “It was hard to estimate what I would be earning because I was transitioning in life,” said Park, who’s studying for a master’s degree in marketing. “I tend to overestimate because I don’t want to have to pay back,” she said.
The average refund is large enough to offset any repayment in most cases, according to the Treasury Department. The White House says the Affordable Care Act is working even better than anticipated. But this is the first year that the complicated connections between the law and the tax system are playing out for consumers. Initial reports suggest a fairly even split between tax-return winners and losers. Earlier in the filing season, tax preparation company H&R Block reported that 52 percent of its customers who got health insurance subsidies owed money back. Repayments averaged $530, reducing expected refunds by 17 percent. On the other hand, roughly one-third of customers with subsidies overestimated their incomes. As a result, their refunds went up by $365 on average. In a recent study, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that half those eligible for a subsidy would owe money, while 45 percent would
receive a bigger refund. The estimated average repayment was $794, and the refund was $773. The estimates were based on an analysis of census data about income changes among people likely eligible for health care subsidies. Kaiser calculated that overall between 4.5 million and 7.5 million households have to account to the IRS for their subsidies. This year is “a learning experience” for consumers and the government alike, said Kaiser’s Cynthia Cox. “To the extent this makes people unsure of how much financial help they are going to get, it could be a discouragement for some to sign up.” To avoid tax surprises, consumers should contact the health insurance exchange if their income changes during the year. Tucker Bush, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Tacoma, Washington, basically broke even. He ended up giving back $19 of his subsidy, but not before he had spent an hour trying to figure out IRS Form 8962, which taxpayers must use to account for their subsidies. “It caused me a little bit of a headache, and I have a college degree,” said Bush, who volunteers at a nonprofit dental clinic for children. “If you are trying to help someone who may not have a college diploma, this is going to be a nightmare.” Bill Preus of St. Petersburg, Florida, was covered under
the health care law for three months last year before transitioning to Medicare because of disability. Preus once had his own insurance agency, selling life and health policies. He is used to complexity, but said he never has seen anything like this. Preus said he faces the prospect of paying back close to $4,000 because of poor coordination between HealthCare.
gov and his insurer, the government’s failure to discontinue his health law subsidy after he went on Medicare, and forgiveness of a student loan debt that caused his income to go up. “There is no one to talk to who can coordinate when extenuating circumstances like this come up, and it’s a total mess,” he said. Preus said a tax preparer and an IRS representative both advised him to file an incomplete return so as to trigger an audit, suggesting that may be the best way to straighten things out.
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Real Estate Sales Neighborhd Address
Price
Bed Bath Agent
Battery Park City
250 South End Ave.
Battery Park City
70 Little W St.
Battery Park City
377 Rector Place
Chelsea
161 W 15 St.
$2,650,000 2
Chelsea
127 W 22 St.
$2,650,000
Chelsea
318 W 15 St.
$545,000
Chelsea
200 W 20 St.
Chelsea
75 Wall St.
$729,000
$665,000
Financial District
40 Broad St.
$2,000,000
Financial District Flatiron
$712,500
0
1
Keller Williams Nyc
Greenwich Village
25 5 Ave.
$1,410,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
$802,500
Greenwich Village
250 Mercer St.
$660,000
1
1
Citi Habitats
12 W 17 St.
$3,690,000
Lower E Side 473 Fdr Drive
$490,000
1
1
Halstead Property
Flatiron
17 W 14 St.
$542,000
Lower E Side 417 Grand St.
$701,000
Flatiron
27 W 19 St.
$2,573,268
2
2
Brown Harris Stevens
Lower E Side 530 Grand St.
$700,000
2
1
Halstead Property
Flatiron
63 W 17 St.
$2,250,000 2
2
Barkoff Residential
Lower E Side 504 Grand St.
$465,000
1
1
Loho Realty
Flatiron
73 5 Ave.
$5,375,000
Lower E Side 417 Grand St.
$902,000
2
Douglas Elliman
1
1
Citi Habitats
Gramercy Park 1 Irving Place
$500,000
Lower E Side 575 Grand St.
$600,000
$460,000
0
1
Epointe Properties Group
Gramercy Park 235 E 22 St.
$681,000
Soho
95 Greene St.
$1,985,000
234 W 20 St.
$960,000
1
1
Corcoran
Gramercy Park 102 E 22 St.
$625,000
1
1
Corcoran
Soho
203 Spring St.
$500,000
2
1
Village City Real Estate
Chelsea
147 W 15 St.
$2,525,000
Gramercy Park 205 3 Ave.
$530,000
0
1
Halstead Property
Soho
242 Lafayette St.
$1,910,000
2
2
Corcoran
Chelsea
332 W 17 St.
$770,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
Gramercy Park 57 Irving Place
$4,163,781
Tribeca
110 Duane St.
$4,000,000 3
2
Corcoran
E Village
141 E 3 St.
$707,500
1
1
Brown Harris Stevens
Gramercy Park 201 E 17 St.
$677,000
1
1
Corcoran
Tribeca
366 Broadway
$3,050,000 2
2
Douglas Elliman
E Village
311 E 11 St.
$1,275,000
1
1
Carroll Group
Gramercy Park 157 E 18 St.
$1,900,000 3
3
Brown Harris Stevens
Tribeca
415 Greenwich St.
$7,744,000
4
4
The Marketing Directors
E Village
99 E 4 St.
$1,125,000
2
1
Brown Harris Stevens
$1,950,000 2
1
Sotheby’s
Tribeca
93 Worth St.
$1,858,306
1
1
Core
141 E 3 St.
$767,000
1
1
Corcoran
Greenwich Village
61 W 9 St.
E Village
Tribeca
130 Watts St.
$2,295,000
Financial District
75 Wall St.
$1,750,000
2
2
Charles Rutenberg
Greenwich Village
60 E 9 St.
$350,000
Two Bridges
257 Clinton St.
$700,000
W Chelsea
447 W 18 St.
$2,500,000 2
2
Leslie J. Garfield
Financial District
56 Pine St.
$740,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
Greenwich Village
12 E 12 St.
$4,995,000 2
W Village
2 Horatio St.
$1,323,725
Financial District
20 Pine St.
$820,000
0
1
Triumph Property Group
Greenwich Village
24 5 Ave.
$930,116
2
Halstead Property
St.Easy.com is New York’s most accurate and comprehensive real estate website, providing consumers detailed sales and rental information and the tools to manage that information to make educated decisions. The site has become the reference site for consumers, real estate professionals and the media and has been widely credited with bringing transparency to one of the world’s most important real estate markets.
More neighborhood news? neighborhood celebrations? neighborhood opinions? neighborhood ideas? neighborhood feedback? neighborhood concerns? Email us at news@strausnews.com
APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
100 GALLERIES | 1200 ARTISTS | 50 COUNTRIES
PIER 94 | 55TH STREET & WESTSIDE HIGHWAY | MANHATTAN
WWW.ARTMIAMINEWYORK.COM
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APRIL 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
YOUR 15 MINUTES
To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to otdowntown.com/15 minutes
A LIFETIME OF PERFECT NOTES TOGETHER Pianists Max Barros and James Melo prep a pair of fully staged concerts BY MICKEY KRAMER
Pianist Max Barros was a self-described “almost legal” 17 and musicologist James Melo was 21 when they met in Brazil in 1981 at a piano audition for a college music program. They have been near-inseparable ever since. Barros and Melo, both from Brazil, had vastly divergent paths to their meeting at the Faculdade Santa Marcelina, in Sao Paulo. Barros started playing piano at age 6. Melo went to medical school for two years and worked as a chemist for Dow Chemical, before beginning to play in earnest after he turned 17. Melo and Barros would both receive their B.A. degrees in piano. Barros left Melo and Brazil in 1984 to begin a Master’s of Arts program at New York University. The two spent summers and holidays together, with many letters exchanged, and though not easy, according to Melo, the much quieter of the two, “the love bond was already so strong, we weren’t really worried [that it wouldn’t work out].” Barros lived at the 92nd Street Y dorms from 1984-1987, while attaining his Master’s degree from NYU. During his stay, he met Eve Wolf, who taught a chamber music program at the Y and became his first friend in New York City. Barros has performed and recorded all over the world. “I did my first recording at 26 and have not stopped.” Melo, after spending three years teaching in Brazil, joined Barros in New York City in 1987, where they have lived together ever since. He writes for music magazines, liner notes for CDs and for the past 16 years has worked for the ongoing bibliography and database project, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he’s now senior editor, while also teaching piano and music theory at the upper east side’s DillerQuaile Music School. In 2001, Melo and Barros, along with Wolf, founded the Ensemble for the Romantic Century (ERC), a group that presents fully staged theatrical concerts merging music, staged and scripted theater, literature, and visual arts. Jules Verne: From the Earth to the Moon will be performed from April 8-April 12 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The production dramatizes the face-to-face meeting between the French writer Jules Verne and the young American journalist Nelly Bly and interweaves a script based on Verne’s and Bly’s own words with French chamber music performed by
Max Barros (left) and James Melo (right) Barros, Wolf, and others. In addition, American music by Stephen Foster featuring live banjo, a barbershop quartet, and elaborate film and video projections will be included. ERC’s second 2015 production, The Sorrows of Young Werther, is slated for two shows on June 3-4 at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. This production will weave the drama of Goethe’s tale of obsessive and unrequited love with the music of Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms and others. Sitting down in their spacious living room, it’s impossible not to notice
that Barros, at 6’1”, towers over the more diminutive Melo. Both wear eyeglasses, and have been together so long they truly can finish each other’s thoughts; that, along with a Steinway piano and floor-to-ceiling book collection which includes works by Shakespeare and Dickens, Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and at least six copies of The Iliad. Melo estimates they have about 3,000 books. Following 16 years on West 79th street, Barros and Melo moved across the park to East 79th Street on December 31st, 2012. Their first meal as Upper East siders was New Year’s Eve
dinner at Italian restaurant, Firenze. For bibliophile Melo, the new locale is a dream. Along with being a member of the Morgan Library, he visits the New York Society Library, also on East 79th st, nearly every day. When asked about marriage, Barros recalled that they had a civil union ceremony, but, amusingly, neither recalled the date or year. Melo checked, and for the record, it was April 21, 2003. After 33 years together, Melo explains that “we’re such a compliment to each other. If it wasn’t for Max, I never would’ve come to New York
and had the great life and career that I love… The companionship, love, and care he shows for me… ” “James grounds me. I can easily ‘float’ with the art sometimes,” Barros concludes. “Everything I do, I do better [with James].”
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APRIL 9-15,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CLASSIFIEDS Classified Advertising Department Information Telephone: 212-868-0190 | Fax: 212-2868-0190 Email: classified2@strausnews.com Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Deadline: 12pm the Friday before publication ACCOUNTING/FINANCIAL SERVICES LOMTO Federal Credit Union It’s hard to beat our great rates! Deposits federally insured to at least $250K (212)947-3380 ext.3144
ADOPTION ADOPTION: Unplanned Pregnancy? Caring licensed adoption agency provides financial and emotional support. Choose from loving pre-approved families. Call Joy toll free 1-866922-3678 or confidential email:Adopt@ForeverFamiliesThroughAdoption.org ANIMALS & PETS
North Shore Animal League AnimalLeague.org 1-877-4-SAVE-PET Facebook.com/TheAnimalLeague ANTIQUES/COLLECTIBLES
Antique, Flea & Farmers Market, East 67 St Market (bet. First & York Ave). Open every Saturday, 6am-5pm, rain or shine. Indoor & Outdoor, Free Admission. Call Bob 718-8975992. Proceeds benefit PS 183. AUCTIONS
Exciting Neighborhood Auction Antiques & Collectibles, Paintings, Decorative Objects, Costume Jewelry. Sat April 18, 3pm. 1157 Lex Ave @ 80th St (garden ent next to All Souls) Prev & Reg 11am-3pm. Martine’s Auctions, 212-772-0900, martine-auctions@outlook.com
CAMPS/SCHOOLS Alexander Robertson School Independent School for Pre-K through Grade 5, 212-663-2844, 3 West 95th St. www.AlexanderRobertson.com Loyola School 646-346-8132 www.loyolanyc.org admissions@loyolanyc.org River Park Nursery School 212-663-1205, www.river parknurseryschool.com York Preparatory School 212-362-0400 ext 133 www.yorkprep.org admissions@yorkprep.org
CARS & TRUCKS & RV’S Donate your car to Wheels For Wishes, benefiting Make-AWish. We offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Call (855) 376-9474
EMPLOYMENT AVON Career or pocket money you decide Call Brandie (Ind Sls rep) 1-800-305-3911 Or sign up online: www.startavon.com Reference code:gsim For award winning support ENTERTAINMENT
Mohegan Sun Why Drive? For info call Academy: 1-800-442-7272 ext. 2353 - www.academybus.com
ENTERTAINMENT
LIPS The Ultimate in Drag Dining & Best Place in NYC to Celebrate Your Birthday! 227 E 56th St., 212-675-7710 www.LipsUSA.com HEALTH SERVICES
Carnegie Hill Endoscopy 212-860-6300 www.carnegiehillendo.com Columbia Doctors of Ophthalmology - Our newest location at 15 West 65th Street (Broadway) is now open. www.ColumbiaEye.org 212.305.9535 High Colonic By Rachel Relieve constipation & bloating 24 yrs exp. 212-317-0467 Lenox Hill Hospital Lenox Hill Orthopaedics (855) 434-1800 www.Lenoxhillhospital.org/ ortho Mount Sinai-Roosevelt Hospital University Medical Practice Associates 212-523-UMPA(8672) www.umpa.com New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital www.nyp.org/lowermanhattan NYU Langone Medical Center Introduces the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health. 555 Madison Ave bet. 55th & 56th, 646-754-2000 HELP WANTED
$8,000 COMPENSATION. EGG DONORS NEEDED. Women 21-31. Help Couples Become Families using Physicians from the BEST DOCTOR’S LIST. Personalized Care. 100% Confidential. 1-877-9-DONATE; 1-877-936-6283; www.longislandivf.com ATTEND AVIATION COLLEGE– Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance training. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM for free information 866296-7093 Can You Dig It? Heavy Equipment Operator Career! Receive Hands On Training And National Certifications Operating Bulldozers, Backhoes & Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. Veteran Benefits Eligible! 1-866-968-2577 MR.BULTS’S is currently hiring experienced Class A CDL Drivers in the NY state. If interested in applying, please text “Haul” to 55000 or www.mrbults.com/careers WELDING CAREERS- Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. CALL AIM 877-206-4006
HELP WANTED
Technician, Broadcast Network Operations Center at SiriusXM Radio: Serves as a team member in the Broadcast Network Operations Center. One 1 year to 2 years of technical experience in radio broadcast. Apply at https://careers-siriusxm. icims.com/jobs/10244/technician%2c-broadcast-network-operations-center/job
The Volunteer Referral Center & Bellevue Hospital Center Present
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN HEALTHCARE Use your career skills or develop new ones to make a difference in a healthcare setting DATE: Thursday, April 16, 2015 TIME: 3:00 to 6:00 PM LOCATION: Bellevue Hospital Center, Saul Farber Auditorium, 27th Street and First Avenue ADMISSION IS FREE RSVP to reserve your place 212.889.4805
Writer, Talk Programming at SiriusXM Radio: Writes and produces monologues, bits, segments, scripted series, and other content formats. 4 years exp on writing staff in radio, tv, internet, or print. Apply at https://careers-siriusxm. icims.com/jobs/10235/writer%2c-talk-programming/job
LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL ALLSTATE INSURANCE Anthony Pomponio 212-769-2899 125 West 72nd St. 5R, NYC apomponio@allstate.com
MASSAGE BODYWORK by young, handsome, smooth, athletic Asian. InCall/OutCall. Phillip. 212-787-9116
Massage by Melissa (917)620-2787
POLICY NOTICE: We make every effort to avoid mistakes in your classified ads. Check your ad the first week it runs. We will only accept responsibility for the first incorrect insertion. Manhattan Media Classifieds assumes no financial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for copy changes. All classified ads are pre-paid. REAL ESTATE - RENT
OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Resort Services. 1-800-638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com REAL ESTATE - SALE
CONTRACT FELL THRU! 5 acres- $19,900 or $254/month! 70% below market! Gorgeous woods, 5 miles to Cooperstown! G’teed buildable! Town rd, utils. Call: 888-905-8847 or go to newyorklandandlakes.com Sebastian, Florida Beautiful 55+ manufactured home community. 4.4 miles to the beach, Close to riverfront district. New models from $85,000. 772-581-0080, www.beachcove.com UPSTATE NY WATERFRONT! 11 acres- $69,900 Beautiful woods on bass lake 5 miles to Cooperstown! Private setting for camp, cabin or year round home! Terms avail! 888-479-3394 NewYorkLandandLakes.com SERVICES OFFERED
Allstate - The Wright Agency Anthony Wright 718 671 8000 Ao65989@allstate.com Auto.home.life.retirement
Pandora Jewelry Unforgettable Moments 412 W Broadway - Soho, NYC 212-226-3414
ANTIQUES WANTED Top Prices Paid. Chinese Objects, Paintings, Jewelry, Silver, Furniture, Etc. Entire Estates Purchased. 800-530-0006. CASH for Coins! Buying Gold & Silver. Also Stamps, Paper Money, Comics, Entire Collections, Estates. Travel to your home. Call Marc in NY: 1-800959-3419
WANTED TO BUY
I Buy Old Tribal Art Free Appraisal 917-628-0031 Daniel@jacarandatribal.com WE BUY-TOP DOLLAR PAID Fine & Costume Jewelry Gems-Silver-Gold-Jade Antiques-Art-Rugs Call Gregory@718 608 5854 Certified GIA Gemologist
Directory of Business & Services To advertise in this directory Call Susan (212)-868-0190 ext.417 Classified2@strausnews.com
ANTIQUES WANTED
TOP PRICES PAID
Chinese Objects Paintings, Jewelry Silver, Furniture, Etc. Entire Estates Purchased
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800.530.0006
CARMEL Car & Limousine Service To JFK… $52 To Newark… $51 To LaGuardia… $34 1-212-666-6666 Toll Free 1-800-9-Carmel Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel Known for excellence since 1898 - 1076 Madison Ave, at 81st St., 212-288-3500 Hudson Valley Public Relations Optimizing connections. Building reputations. 24 Merrit Ave Millbrook, NY 12545, (845) 702-6226
MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
Fresh California Organic Walnuts, home grown, hand picked. Reduces the risk of heart disease. One of the best plant source of protein, Omega 3 and E &B vitamins. $12 a pound shelled, $5 a pound in shell, plus shipping. Perry Creek Walnuts 530-503-9705 perrycreekwalnuts.com perrycreekwalnuts@hotmail.com
WANTED TO BUY
John Krtil Funeral Home; Yorkville Funeral Service, INC. Independently Owned Since 1885. WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES 212-744-3084 Marble Collegiate Church Dr. Michael B. Brown, Senior Minister, 1 West 29th St. NYC, NY 10001, (212) 689-2770. www.MarbleChurch.org Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers NYC’s Coolest Place to Skate! ChelseaPiers.com/sr 212-336-6100
SOHO LT MFG
462 Broadway MFG No Retail/Food +/- 9,000 sf Ground Floor - $90 psf +/- 16,000 sf Cellar - $75 psf Call Mark @ Meringoff Properties 646.262.3900
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APRIL 9-15,2015
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